Editor’s note: This year, UA and ASU football will face off for the 100th time in what has come to be known as the Territorial Cup game. Leading up to that Nov. 28 matchup, which will be played right here in Tucson, we will be republishing the Arizona Daily Star’s coverage of each rivalry game — one a day — going back to their first meeting in 1899. Tune in daily for a blast from the past.
Some important things to keep in mind: This isn’t the 100th anniversary; the upcoming meeting will be the 100th time the teams have gone head-to-head. There were a number of years that they didn’t compete against one another. The Wildcats lead the all-time series vs. the Sun Devils, 52-46-1.
Matchup: Game 54
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Date: Nov. 29, 1980
Where: Tucson
Winner: ASU, 44-7
What was reported at the time:
By BOB SHERWIN
The Arizona Daily Star
In the Big Game, it was the big plays that made the big difference.
The Arizona Wildcat offense set up those big plays just when Arizona State needed them.
The Sun Devils put on a merciless demonstration of opportunistic football in the first half, marching to a 44-7 victory yesterday. The 10:30 a.m. game was played before 53,108 fans at Arizona Stadium plus millions of ABC television viewers through most of the Midwest and Western United States.
The loss dashed Wildcat hopes for a winning season under first-year Coach Larry Smith. Arizona finished 5-6, and the Sun Devils ended the season 7-4 under first-year Coach Darryl Rogers. The victory narrowed the Wildcats’ series lead to 29-25.
Arizona’s ineffectual offense put the victory on a platter for the Sun Devils. A shanked punt by the Wildcats set up ASU’s first touchdown. A blocked punt quickly produced another. An interception was turned into a third. Two Wildcat fumbles set up a field goal and one more Sun Devil touchdown.
Arizona had six turnovers, and the Sun Devils capitalized on four of them for 24 points, not including the blocked punt. ASU didn’t have a turnover and rarely made a mistake.
“There were so many things that went wrong,” said Smith. “I’ve never been so frustrated on the sidelines in my life. They played very, very good, and we played very, very bad.
“We just couldn’t get anything going. We never established momentum, and they never lost it.”
Arizona State scored on its third series after a shanked 25-yard punt by Wildcat punter Sergio Vega put the ball on the Arizona 48-yard-line. The touchdown came on a 23-yard pass from quarterback Mike Pagel to tight end Ron Wetzel at 6:15. Wetzel was wide open in the end zone as the Wildcats blew the coverage.
But it was the blocked-punt-turned-touchdown by first-team Pacific 10 Conference sophomore linebacker Vernon Maxwell that provided the emotional surge, and the Sun Devils rode the crest for a 31-0 halftime lead.
Maxwell’s block came 58 seconds before the end of the first period with Arizona State leading, 7-0. Arizona, which had two problems through the half, one, an immovable offense, and, two, poor field position, tried to punt away from its 14.
Vega, setting up at the five, had his effort soundly rejected by Maxwell, who made a quick inside move and came in undefended. He tracked down the ball near the back line of the end zone and quickly gave ASU a 14-0 advantage.
Lightning struck again, and just as quickly, three minutes later on another individual effort by a Sun Devil defender. Sophomore strong safety Mike Richardson made a one-handed, juggling interception of a pass by Wildcat quarterback Tom Tunnicliffe and ran 35 yards for a score at 12:39 of the second period.
And the storm continued. On Arizona’s next play from scrimmage, tailback Brian Holland, on a hit by Maxwell, fumbled the ball and defensive end Bryan Caldwell recovered at the Wildcat 11. Four plays later, Devil placekicker Scott Lewis kicked a 23-yard field goal for a 24-0 lead at 11:34.
Arizona had its finest drive of the first half on its next series, moving from its 30 to the Devil's 28. It ended with a missed 46-yard field-goal attempt by placekicker Brett Weber at 7:58.
Pagel, who was 18-of-27 for 203 yards with two touchdowns passing and another rushing, passed the Sun Devils for their final first-half score three minutes before intermission. He completed five passes in a 72-yard drive, capped by a precisely timed four-yard scoring pass to wide receiver John Mistler, a senior who attended Tucson’s Sahuaro High School. It made the score 31-0.
“They had so many big plays in succession, we couldn’t get any momentum,” said senior Wildcat defensive tackle Mike Robinson.
Arizona made a mild effort to get back into the game on its first series in the second half. The Wildcats marched 80 yards in seven plays for a touchdown. The score came on an 18-yard pass from Tunnicliffe to senior tight end Bill Nettling, who slipped behind the secondary for an easy score at 11:26.
“I thought it was possible to come back,” said Smith. “Last week, they had Oregon 42-10 (before Oregon came back to lose, 42-37), and we tried to use that as an example at halftime.”
But the Arizona defense buckled. In the second half, the Sun Devils drove 72 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown, a one-yard sneak by Pagel, and a 38-7 lead at 7:23.
Fittingly, Arizona State scored its final touchdown after yet another Wildcat offensive mistake. Tunnicliffe, attempting to pass, was stripped of the ball by linebacker Mark Hicks, and Caldwell made his second recovery at the Arizona nine.
One play later, running back Robert Weathers ran around the left side for the nine-yard touchdown. Arizona then came up with its lone “big play” of the game, blocking Lewis’ extra-point attempt.
“I never would have thought the game would go the way it went,” said Rogers. “Rivalries are never that way. We didn’t expect it nor would we ever expect it again.”
Neither team ran the ball with much effectiveness, but ASU had a huge return or “hidden yard” advantage. The Devils had 131 yards returning punts, fumbles and interceptions and Arizona had none.
Mistler finished with six catches for 61 yards. Wide receiver Tim Holmes of Arizona had five receptions for 73 yards. Wildcat runners Holland and Hubie Oliver finished with 26 yards combined.
Arizona played without linebacker Ricky Hunley and John Ramseyer, who both broke bones in their hands during practice last week.
The game was filled with emotion, especially in the wake of last year’s last-gasp 27-24 victory by Arizona. The teams formed huge huddles in the middle of the field before the game, and some of the players nearly squared off before the opening kickoff.
“There’s a rule that’s supposed to keep the teams from coming out there like that,” said Arizona assistant Moe Ankney. “But they probably would have won the fight, too.”
Climb into the Arizona Daily Star’s time machine as we revisit every Territorial Cup matchup between U of A and ASU football ahead of the Nov.…
